The Light in the Distance
by bricksinthewall
Summary: After Beth's tragic death, the group is down more than ever. Counting their losses, along with the food, water, and shelter that they don't have. Everybody is walking around like they're dead on their feet, especially Daryl. They all have each other, but the strength to keep on going is becoming hard to come by. Post-"Coda". Rated T-M.
1. Chapter 1

Daryl's mind went blank.

He seen what Beth did. He seen her stab that cop, Dawn. The next part would haunt him forever.

Even if he couldn't really tell you what exactly happened in that moment.

He just heard the gunshot, and then the next thing he knew, Beth was on the cold, hard floor. Not moving, blood on the back of her pretty blonde head.

He didn't have time to think about what he was going to do next. He plunged forward, almost unconsciously, pointing his gun at Dawn.

"I didn't mean to-" She panicked.

Nothing mattered at the point though. Only his rage. Only the fact that something just happened that would scar him along with the ones his father gave him on his beaten back. It was nothing that could be reversed, fixed, or hunted down ever again. It was nothing food, water, or shelter could fix. It was nothing a book about overcoming childhood abuse could fix. It was nothing a bullet could fix...

But, he did it anyway. The next thing he knew, his bullet was going through Dawn's head, and he watched as Dawn's lifeless body hit the floor in front of Beth's.

You could cut the shock and devastation in that hospital hallway with a knife. The cries of Carol behind him, and the loss of words of everyone else was deafening.

Daryl didn't hold back. He was tired of holding back. He let what happened wash over him as he started to let the tears fall. He worked so hard to get back to her, and Carol was severely hurt, almost killed, in the process, just for this tragedy to happen. He was so close. He thought he had won this time around. Instead, what became the light at the end of this tunnel was no longer there. His moral compass had gone astray. It was broken, never to be repaired. It didn't point North anymore. It couldn't guide him in the right direction anymore.

It was still. She was still. She was gone. She was dead.

Nobody from the hospital came back with Rick and the rest of the group. Rick had offered, but nobody stepped forward. After, Daryl picked up Beth's body, and along with the rest of the group, made their way out of the hospital in all their disparity.

Everything seemed to be going in slow motion at that point, or had it been? Seeing Maggie collapse to the ground and scream for her sister, seeing Glenn and Michonne's shocked but blank faces made it all feel that more real. Abraham and his people didn't know what to do. They didn't know Beth. They would never know Beth Greene, so they lost something too that day, even if they didn't realize it.

Maggie finally stood up and sobbed over her sister. Daryl wanted to say something, anything. Instead, he just cried harder, and just looked down at Beth with her sister. The stitches...the bullet wound. She was the most beautiful disaster.

Things started to come to when Rick suddenly yelled, "Walkers!"

Daryl looked up and everybody else looked behind them to find a massive herd coming towards the hospital. They must have heard the gunshots that were fired, or maybe it was Maggie's horrified screaming. It could have easily been both, honestly. They started to panic.

"Hurry!" Rick yelled, "Have your weapons ready! We need to see if we can find an easier way out of the city. Vehicles!"

Daryl almost didn't know what to do. He was carrying Beth's dead weight, but he needed to help his people find what they needed to escape from the oncoming herd. Until, Dr. Edwards came running out of the hospital entrance.

"There's a massive herd of the biters coming!" He exclaimed, "You guys need to get out of here fast!"

He glanced down at Beth's body in Daryl's arms. He gave Daryl, Maggie, and the rest of the group an apologetic look.

"Listen," he started, putting his hands up, "I am...so sorry about Beth. She was a great and an intelligent girl...woman. I can tell she was very loved. I know you all don't want to say goodbye just yet, especially after what just happened, but I want to try and help you any way I can. Hauling her off with you guys will be a struggle, so maybe you can let me take her. She will be safe here. I won't let anything...else...happen to her. I promise you."

Daryl and Maggie glared at the man...but, in the back of their minds, they were considering it. Rick looked at the man in consideration, and then back at Daryl and Maggie.

"I don't want to say goodbye either," Rick said, shaken, "but he might be right on this."

Daryl huffed and puffed through a sob, and Maggie cupped her sister's face and kissed the unmarked part of her forehead.

"I love you, Beth" she cried, "Tell Daddy, Mom, Shawn, and everyone that I love them, too. I'm so sorry."

Glenn then came up behind her and said his goodbye. "Bye, sis" he simply said through a silent cry. Everybody else made their way over and said their quick goodbyes as well, before going about the next steps to safety.

It was Daryl's turn, and to hand over Beth to the doctor. He glanced at Rick, and Rick responded by giving him that nod that he knows all too well. This was it. This had to be it.

Daryl's body started to shake in sobs as he held Beth a little closer for the final time.

"I just got you back" he whispered, letting the uncontrollable tears fall from his face. He kissed her hard on the cheek. "I'm so sorry this happened to you" he whispered, "You were right. You were always right. I'll miss you, Beth."

The herd was getting closer, as the moans of the walkers were getting louder and louder. Daryl then reluctantly put Beth's body in the doctor's arms, just how he was carrying her. The same way he carried her on that final day at the funeral home, when her ankle was too hurt to make it to the dinner table. This was a much more serious situation now, and it hurt like hell.

"There are a few vehicles around the building somewhere that you all are free to take as well" the doctor called out to Rick and the group. Rick nodded at him in regards of a "thank you", and told Daryl and Maggie to come on.

Daryl took in one last glimpse of Beth Greene, before running off with the rest of his family to safety.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hi, guys! I hope you liked the first chapter to this story. I'm very new at this, so I hope I doing alright. Thank you for reading. I would greatly appreciate any feedback! Follow if you like!**

It's been a couple of long days since that fateful day at the hospital. Everybody was still on edge and high strung. After Bob's and Beth's deaths, having no water, having no food, and having no real shelter besides the cars they took from Grady, everybody was more discouraged than when they lost the prison. There was no hope to be found anywhere.

Everybody sat around the fire that night, having their own quiet little conversations, with Abraham, Tara, and Rosita on watch. The group had been quiet ever since they settled on camping at a random spot in the woods. It was the only idea of a break they could get right now. Just stopping to take a little breather for the night, and to figure out what they were going to do next.

On one side of the camp, Rick and Noah were getting to know each other, since it seemed that Noah was certainly a part of the group now. Rick doesn't ask him the three questions. He doesn't do that anymore. They don't matter as much as he thought they did. People have to do whatever it takes to survive, whether it's killing a hundred people and a hundred walkers. This is how it is now.

"She was gonna come with me" Noah told Rick, as they sat on the back of the van, staring into the fire.

"How far?" Rick asked him.

"Richmond..." Noah answered, "Virginia."

Rick just nodded and processed the information into a consideration. After a moment, he glanced up and seen Daryl staring at the two of them. Daryl immediately darted his eyes back to the fire, pretending as if he wasn't paying attention to anything they were saying.

Daryl hadn't been much use to the group since Beth's death. Nobody made him. They understood. He was in mourning, along with Maggie. They were all grieving for the people and the hope they lost.

A few minutes later, Maggie came over and sat beside Daryl. She was hesitant at first, but then she asked what he knew was coming sooner or later.

"What happened to my sister, Daryl? I need to know."

Daryl looked up at her, her face still tear stricken. Daryl knew that she needed to know.

"I thought everythin' was gonna be fine" he admitted, "but then, that Dawn lady wanted Noah back, didn't sit with Beth very well. She went up to Dawn and stabbed her with a pair of scissors...right in the neck. Next thing I knew, there was a gunshot...and Beth just collapsed."

Maggie was trying her hardest to hold back another round of tears. Daryl didn't want to remember anymore, but he drew in a shaky breath and continued.

"Dawn didn't even mean to kill her...but, I didn't give a shit. I shot her...in the head...killed her."

Maggie just looked at Daryl for a minute. Daryl put his head down, saddened by the story he just told. Maggie put her hand on his shoulder.

"Thank you." She said wobbly, "You did the only thing you could do in that moment...and you did everything you could to keep her safe before she was taken...you did everything you could to find her...so, please, Daryl...don't blame yourself, because I know you do."

"No..." he said after a moment, "it IS on me, Maggie. Maybe I coulda done somethin'."

"_Maybe I coulda done somethin'."_

He's said that before, when him and Beth drank that moonshine at that dirty, old shack that they found after the prison fell. Just like he could have done something to save Hershel, he could have done something to save her.

"_Maybe I coulda done somethin'."_

That was Beth's cue to come and embrace him from behind again, like she did when he went on that stupid rampage after they played that drinking game, to calm him down again...but, she wasn't here anymore. Never would be again.

"I don't blame you, Daryl" Maggie finally spoke up, "so, you shouldn't blame you either."

"You don't get it." Daryl snapped back, "I was the one who opened that damn door the night the walkers took over that damn funeral home. I was the one who told her to go up the road. I let her out of my sight. If I hadn't, she's probably still BE HERE." Daryl was almost yelling at this point, even though he didn't mean to. Maggie objected.

"You were doing what you could do to SAVE her LIFE! What if you hadn't? She could have died easily then, too. You could have died. You BOTH could have died."

"It SHOULDA been me that died..." Daryl whispered, staring blankly at the fire. Maggie didn't know what else to say. There was no arguing with Daryl Dixon right now.

"You're just grieving right now, Daryl." She said, trying to assure him, "As am I. But, thinking like that...is going to get you killed. I don't wanna see you go, too."

And with that, Maggie stood up, wiped her face of tears, and went on to join Glenn wherever he was.

"Richmond, Virginia." Rick suddenly announced, getting everyone's attention. "Beth wanted to get Noah there, so that's what we're gonna do." Everybody agreed with the plan, even though it was a long trip. The plan was just as good as any.

Daryl then stood up from the fire, grabbed his crossbow that was leaning against the tree next to him, and headed off into the woods...so he could be alone for at least just a moment.


	3. Chapter 3

**Here is Chapter 3 for you guys! Thank you so much for all the feedback! I'm glad you all are enjoying it! Here goes another...**

* * *

They've been on the road for 15 days. 15 long and tiresome days to get Noah back to Virginia to a little subdivision that he used to call home. He wants to find his family, a mom and his set of twin brothers.

Everyone knew that they probably weren't there anymore, but they let Noah hope anyway. Maybe they could hold up there for awhile, but that was just another hopeless thought as well.

While Rick, Michonne, Glenn, Tyreese, and Noah all carpooled together, Daryl was with Maggie, Carol, Carl, Judith, and Sasha in the van. Tara, Father Gabriel, Abraham, and his people were in another van behind them. While Daryl would have normally been at Rick's side, Rick suggested that he stay behind, considering how he was still feeling and he thought it'd be the best idea to stay back with a group in case anything went wrong. Daryl was also nominated to drive, because no one wanted to make Maggie and Carol still wasn't in the best of shape, so he stepped up.

"Halfway there." They heard Rick's voice say over the walkie talkie Carol was holding.

"Not far behind you." Carol replied.

"Everything OK on that end?" Rick asked.

"Yeah, fine." She responded.

Daryl shifted in his seat as he started to get nervous about getting close to reaching their destination. While Daryl was so used to him and the group coming up empty handed, he was just so tired of seeing it happen. Over and over again.

This wasn't just for Noah, though. It was for Beth also. Doing this in her memory made it that much easier, but that much harder at the same time.

"This last little bit will be the easy part. But, if we don't hear from you, we'll come lookin'." Carol said into the walkie talkie once more.

"Copy that." Rick agreed.

Hopefully, they won't have to go looking.

* * *

It had been a quiet trip, except for the brief conversation of Carol and Rick checking up on each other and Judith's crying every once in awhile.

Daryl realized something all of a sudden. He wasn't in Georgia anymore. That was incredibly strange to him. Not just because of the fact that he had never been out of the state before, but he thought back to the day him and Beth played the drinking game again...

"_I ain't ever been out of Georgia."_

That was a drink he didn't have to take now. She was so appalled when he told her that. It's funny how things change. Not only was he traveling outside of Georgia now, but he was also doing it to honor her memory. She would be excited for him in a certain way. He wished she was there to cross the state lines with him. She might have been there in spirit, but he didn't know if he believed in all of that or not.

He did just for her, though. He imagined himself either looking beside or behind him, to see Beth and give her that knowling look and smirk that said "I made it. We made it."

"_That's how it's 'sposed to be."_

It made him both happy and sad, to think about being able to look back at Beth in that moment. She'd be giving him that same smile back, except her's would be much more beautiful and radiant. He was smirking to himself in real life, not even realizing it.

"You're smiling." Carol said, catching him.

"What?" his smile faded away, "'Am not."

"Yes, you were. I know what I seen." Carol objected, letting out a small laugh.

"Well...so what?"

"That's just the first time I've see you smile in a long time." She told him.

Daryl just looked at her with a blank face, and then put his focus back on the road.

"What was it, Daryl?" Maggie asked.

"Yeah, what was it?" Carol chimed back in. "We could all use a nice thought."

Daryl was hesitant. He hadn't really talked about anything that happened during his and Beth's time together before. After taking a moment, though, he decided that it might be good to talk about it.

"Just...somethin' that I told Beth awhile back." Daryl started. "I told her about how I ain't ever been out of Georgia before...just wish she coulda been here for my first trip out..."

Nobody said anything for a moment. He looked in the rear-view mirror to see Maggie have tears in her eyes, but a smile on her face.

"That's sweet." Maggie finally spoke. "She's happy for you. I know it. We all wish she could be here."

"That is a nice thought, Daryl." Carol agreed, and he looked at her to find tears in her eyes as well.

Daryl just nodded. He turned his focus back on the road, back to his thoughts.

"_I'm still the reason why she's not here, though."_

* * *

They were almost to Shirewilt, just some odd miles away, when Rick's voice came back over the walkie talkie, out of breath and panicked.

"Get Carl and Sasha away." He warned. "They don't need to see this."

Nobody knew what was going on. Rick didn't say in that moment. Sasha was alarmed that he singled her out along with Carl.

"What's going on?! Is it Ty? Oh, please...tell me it isn't Ty..." She pleaded, desperate and terrified.

They were all hoping it wasn't another bloody loss.

Without even had responded to Rick, he came back over the walkie talkie's static.

"It's Tyreese...he's been bit...we had to amputate his arm...it doesn't look good."

Driving up to the sight of Rick and the rest of them all looking down at Tyreese, who was lying on the side of the road, was heart-wrenching. They instructed Carl to stay in the van with Judith, but there was no holding Sasha back. She immediately jumped out of the van, and ran to collapse on her brother in tears. Rick and Michonne just shook their heads, tears forming in their eyes. That's when the rest of them realized it, walking up to the scene...

Tyreese was gone.

* * *

The funeral was as beautiful as it could be. Father Gabriel gave a sermon as they laid Ty to rest beneath a swaying willow tree. Everybody took turns saying their goodbyes and throwing a shovel-full of dirt in the grave. They were in disbelief of this tragedy. Another good one gone. Another strong one...gone.

Daryl made his goodbye silent. He couldn't believe they had lost someone else so soon. Daryl looked up to Tyreese. He was a friend and a brother. He was another tough son of a bitch.

He also couldn't help but to think of Beth. He wished that she could have had a funeral like this, surrounded by the people that loved her and cared about her.

"_That's how it's 'sposed to be."_

He handed the shovel to Sasha, and he made a connection. They've both lost a brother, and they've both lost someone that was very dear to them. Someone they grew to care for, someone they grew to love...

Wait...was that what it was? Is that what this is?

Daryl shook the thought out of his head. He didn't know what love like that felt like. He loved the family we had now, that was for sure. He loved Merle, in a reluctant way...but, Beth? It felt different. Something that he's never felt before.

"_Is this what love feels like?"_


	4. Chapter 4

**Here is Chapter 4 already! I know I just put up a chapter last night, but I couldn't sleep, so I decided to write some more. Thanks for reading! Enjoy!  
**

* * *

Daryl began to dig through the dirt. He was looking for something, anything, to get rid of the hunger for at least a little while. The group has gone without food for a couple of days now, and they were desperate. There were no houses or other buildings around to ravage through and Daryl hasn't been able to hunt down anything because it seems like nothing is out there to catch.

Daryl ate a worm for breakfast that morning. He got lucky enough to find a worm, and that's about it. Afterward, he met back up with Maggie and Sasha, who had also been looking for food, but had no luck as well.

When they got back to the rest of the group, they were all sitting by the last vehicle they had with gas in the tank, looking exhausted. None of them had any luck finding food either.

No luck for any of them whatsoever. Just Daryl's worm.

They, then, decided to cram back into the van to look for some more ground to cover.

They only drove for about an hour before their last vehicle finally ran out of gas, forcing them to go on foot.

Rick was talking to Daryl about how the group wasn't at their strongest, which was obvious. Daryl was only half-listening to him, dazed by hunger, heat, and emotional exhaustion.

"It's been 3 weeks since Atlanta..."

That caught Daryl's attention.

"I know you lost something back there."

Rick was completely right about that. Daryl did lose something. He lost a lot of things 3 weeks ago. His hope, faith, and any will or possibility to be happy again. It seemed impossible that there would be anything to make him that happy, optimistic, and full of life again. He knew that was stubborn, but he was stubborn, and it was all just too hard.

Had Rick caught on, though? Was Daryl being that obvious? Was he walking around like that much of a dead man?

He changed the subject.

"She's hungry." Daryl said, referring to Judith, who was bouncing in Rick's arms. "We need water...food."

"She'll be okay." Rick assured him, and he didn't what he had said before back up again.

"Goin' on a hunt." Daryl randomly decided. He wanted to get away from the group a little while. He found himself needing breaks from all the company more often now. He became more distant after the events at the hospital. Just like the old days.

"Don't be gone long." Rick told him.

"I'm coming with you." Carol insisted, running up to catch up with him. She had been very concerned about him, and despite everything that had happened, seemed to be the more optimistic one of the group.

"Nah, I got it." Daryl said, trying to stop her.

"Are you going to stop me?"

"_Nope. I guess not."_ He thought. Daryl didn't argue. He let her follow behind him into the woods.

* * *

They were quiet for most of the hunting session. Daryl never had anything he wanted to talk about anymore. Carol never knows what to say either. Like the most recent hunts, they weren't finding anything to catch or even track.

"We should head back." Carol suggested.

"Nah, you go."

But, Daryl didn't think she was going to leave him be so easily. They were too adamant about eachother not pulling away.

"I think she saved my life." She said, suddenly.

That stopped Daryl dead in his tracks, more than he already was. Of course Beth saved her life. He wasn't surprised. Beth would have done anything for the people she loved and cared for. He was very proud of Beth for that. That was the person she was. She cared too much. She put everyone else in front of herself...until one day, that trait ended up killing her.

"She saved your life, too, right?" She asked him, sounding shaken.

Beth Greene saved his life in so many ways. He couldn't even count them all. She kept him moving and on his feet. She got in his face when no one else would and told him how things were when he wouldn't listen. She made him listen, though. She was so determined, that girl...woman. She saved him from himself. He buried his past because she taught him to. He burnt it down with that shack that one night, and followed Beth, his light, towards a better outlook. He was completely okay with following Beth Greene from that moment on. He could have stayed in that funeral home with her and not thought twice about it. Beth Greene gave him his life back, his life he's not even sure he had in the first place.

Carol walked toward him, and handed him a knife in a sheath.

"It was hers."

He took the knife from her. He was so thankful, yet surprised, that Carol had it. At least he now had a keepsake to remember her by. He would wear it on his belt with his own knife.

"I know you...you gotta let yourself feel it. I know you will." Carol comforted him, kissing him on the forehead.

He knew she was right. He already felt like he was feeling everything, but he was making himself miserable by keeping it all inside. He knew he needed to let it all out, but he had to remain strong for the group. With the exception of when Beth passed away, nobody had ever seen Daryl cry. Ever.

Except for Beth.

He wondered if Carol knew, too? Did she see that he loved Beth? She said she knew him, and she does. She was right about everything. She had to have seen it, too.

She seen it.

Rick seen it.

Love saved his life, until he lost it.


	5. Chapter 5

**Well, here's Chapter 5 for you guys. That's three chapters in 24 hours! Haha. My classes were cancelled today due to the weather, so I have a lot of free time on my hands. I liked writing this chapter a lot. Thanks to all who are reading, following, and leaving feedback! Enjoy!**

* * *

After only coming across a few empty cars that only contained the dead in them, the group was still on the move to find food, water, and shelter.

Daryl had went on a hunt when they checked them. But,when he came back, Maggie told him about opening the trunk of one, revealing a blonde-haired, wide-eyed walker that was all tied up and bound like she had been kidnapped before she turned. It reminded Maggie strongly of Beth. It was a tough thing to see, considering the horror stories Daryl told her about her sister being kidnapped by the people at the hopsital.

Daryl was glad he didn't see it. There would have been too much pain in images like that.

After Maggie would barely drink any of the water Glenn offered to her, he offered it to Daryl. He didn't want it, though. The disparity didn't make him have a thirst for anything. He was ready to give up at that point. He felt hopeless, so what was water going to do for him?

"Hey, man. We can make it together, but we can only make it together." Glenn told him, hoping that Daryl would let up. Daryl didn't say anything, and Glenn walked faster to catch up with Maggie ahead.

"Tell 'em I've gone to look for water." Daryl told Abraham. Abraham just replied by taking another swig of whiskey that he had found earlier that day.

After walking through the woods for a few minutes, he came to slight clearing. In the distance, he spotted what looked like a barn or a shack. A wooden kind of building that reminded him of the shack him and Beth found some time ago.

He didn't go any further, though. He slumped down a tree to take a much needed smoke break. He pulled out a few cigarettes and a lighter, and lit one up. Taking in puffs of smoke and nicotine to temporarily take some of the pain away.

He just kept looking out in the distance at that wooden building. No matter where he went, Beth or some kind of memory associated with her, was there. It was there to constantly remind him. It was both a blessing and a curse. A curse because his guilt and sadness about her being dead and gone was always there, but a blessing, because he had told Beth that night at the shack that she'd have to keep reminding him sometimes to stay true to himself.

Boy, was she...

It feels as if her spirit is coming through everybody. Carol had told him earlier that day to let himself feel, just like Beth had taught him to so sternly. Rick had tried to get him to open up and talk about it, just like Beth always pushed him to. But, they're not Beth. That's the thing. There would never be another Beth. Ever.

He was convinced he was going to feel this way for the rest of his life. He was going to miss her. He was going to wonder what he could have done to prevent it all from happening. He was going to wonder how the rest of their last dinner conversation would have went if the walkers hadn't overrun the place. He knows he isn't good with feelings, and he's never been in that kind of situation, but he wished he knew what he was feeling back then and he wished he could have told her. There were so many questions that were never going to be answered. There were too many feelings that would never go away.

He needed Beth Greene.

"_Why did you have to go, Beth?" _He thought to himself. _"Why did you leave me? Why did this happen to you? Why did this happen to me?"_

He took the cigarette out of his mouth. He had never done what he was going to do next before, but he wanted to feel something else, just for a moment. He pressed the cherry of his cigarette to the outside of his thumb, allowing it to burn his skin. It didn't hurt that bad to him. It felt better than anything he's felt in the past 19 days, so it wasn't even a thing to him. He wiped away the ashes that were on his hand, to reveal the shallow hole that remained from the burn.

"_I sure as hell never cut my wrists lookin' for attention!"_

Daryl dropped the cigarette.

He had mocked Beth awhile back for hurting herself. Even though he said it out of anger and spite, he felt bad about it. Now, look at him...hurting himself, just like she did. He understood why she did it now. It was easy. That's the level he has come to, he's hitting the bottom. Beth would be so disappointed.

He let it all go in that moment.

For the first time since her death, he let the uncontrollable sobs that he's somehow controlled all this time, flow free. It was better he did it here, instead of in front everyone else. It felt so good to finally let go.

"_Why the fuck did this happen?"_

He asked the question over and over in his head, and it only made him weep more. He was so angry and so beside himself with everything that happened. He didn't get why God had to take Beth away from him so soon, so young, so beautiful, and so good. While the world was so cruel to him before it went to shit, it was even more cruel now. Not only do the dead walk the earth, but you even have to be cautious of the living almost even more. He would not change the way things are for the sake of knowing Beth Greene and all of these wonderful people he now calls his family, but he would change it if it meant that Beth would have a long and happy life with all of her family, like she wanted.

"_That's how it's 'sposed to be."_

Daryl finally got himself together after a few minutes of clearing his mind of guilt and tragedy. He picked himself up, picked up his crossbow, and headed back towards the road to meet back up with the group.

* * *

Later on that evening, the group got lucky and got to feast upon some rabid dogs that were almost ready to attack. Sasha shot them all, and then Daryl skinned and gutted them so the group could cook them. It wasn't the best, but it was something.

A huge storm came afterward, and Daryl directed the group to the barn he had found in the woods earlier for shelter. It was one good thing that came out of Daryl's random sessions of being alone. After they cleared it, they declared it safe enough to stay for the night, at least until the storm passed.

They say around the fire that night listening to Rick tell a World War II story about his grandfather. It was an inspirational story about not giving up and doing what you have to do.

"We tell ourseleves that we are the walking dead." Rick declared.

But, a young, smart blonde once told him to keep faith, to have hope, and to keep on going. That there are still good people out there. He tried to believe it as much as he could. He tried to believe for her. Daryl simply objected.

"We ain't them."


	6. Chapter 6

**Here goes Chapter 6. I know I'm probably updating too much today, but the snow day has got me on a writing kick and I don't want to wait to post, so forgive me! Thanks again to all who read, favored, followed, and left feedback! I'm having fun with this.  
**

* * *

It was a rough night. After Daryl got up from the fire to keep a watch on things, he noticed a huge herd of walkers trying to bust down the doors. He immediately tried to keep the doors shut with all of his strength, but then Maggie came over to help, then Sasha, and then the rest of the group. Luckily, the storm got the walkers. They weren't any match against it. After a few minutes of holding the doors, it was safe to let go.

Daryl volunteered to stay up and take the watch for that night, though. He knew he wasn't going to be able to sleep that night. He barely slept any night. He spent his time on watch fixing the music box that Carl had given to Maggie. It was a very nice gift. The dancing ballerina even resembled Beth. Carl didn't want the music to stop for her.

Maggie woke up the next morning, to find Daryl still sitting up wide awake. She went over and sat beside him. She told him that he needed to get some rest, and he merely agreed. They both looked over at Sasha, realizing their own grieving processes.

"He was tough." Daryl started, "So was she. She didn't know it, but she was."

It was very true. Beth Greene was an incredibly strong girl. Even if she wasn't like Michonne, Carol, or her sister, Maggie. She was strong minded and strong-willed, and that's just as good as being physically strong in a lot of ways.

Maggie appreciated his words, and nodded, knowing that Daryl was right. He gave her back the music box, and she was appreciative of him taking the time to fix it. It was the least he could do.

After Maggie got up and took Sasha outside, Daryl decided it would be best if he really did try and get some sleep. He made a bed out of some hay and laid his head down, hoping to dream of some beautiful singing by Beth Greene.

* * *

"_And we'll buy_

_a beer to shotgun._

_We'll lay in the lawn_

_and we'll be good"_

Daryl stepped through the doorway of the funeral home, being drawn in by a familiar song. He turned right into one of the main living areas, to find her sitting there at the piano once again, singing and playing so delicately. It was beautiful, like always. He couldn't believe his eyes. It was really her.

"Beth." Daryl breathed.

She turned around, alarmed. She looked untouched. No scars on her face...no bullet-wound. She looked just like she did that last night in the funeral home that they spent together, except for whatever reason, she didn't have the braid in her hair. A slight difference, but one that Daryl noticed, because she used to always have a braid in her hair.

Beth smiled at him. "Hi, Daryl."

He didn't know what to do with himself at first, but he moved his feet and made his way over to the piano bench. Beth scooted over so he could sit with her, and of course, accepted her invitation. He looked at her with sad eyes.

"I've missed you, Beth."

"I told you that you would. I didn't think you believed me, but I knew you would." She said with a small laugh. Her eyes were big, beautiful, and flickering, catching the reflection of the candlelight that was around them.

"Yeah, you were right. You were right about a lot of things."

"I'm glad I got through to you, Daryl Dixon." She smiled at him once more. "So...what changed your mind?"

There it was. Again. The question that he had such a struggle with answering before. He wanted to lay out his whole heart for her. How thankful he was for her for saving his life, how he missed her more than words could even say, how hopeless he felt without her, how he grew to love her...

She laid her head against his shoulder. His breath hitched. While he didn't mind if she was affectionate with him, she just made him incredibly nervous. He was new to this stuff. He finally manned up, though. He thought of the best, but simplest, answer that said it all...

"It was just you." He confessed to her. "You changed my mind."

A few seconds went by, and she was quiet.

"Beth?"

He looked down at her to find pure horror. It was his nightmare all over again. She had the two cuts with the stitches on her face, along with the bullet hole on her forehead, with blood slowly seeping out of it. Her face was cold and white. The little color she did have, her radiance, was gone...

She was lifeless. He was holding up her dead weight once again.

He wanted to scream in terror and anger, but nothing came out.

* * *

"NO!" Daryl screamed out, as he shot up from his makeshift bed on the barn floor. He was trying hard to catch his breath. He had never had a nightmare that felt so real before. He could still feel Beth's head on his shoulder, as if she was just there...

He began to cry again.

"Quit yer cryin', baby brother. What are ya? A pussy?" a raspy, yet familiar voice came from the corner darkness.

Daryl sniffed. "...Merle?"

Lo and behold, it was his own damn brother. He came out of the darkness to reveal himself, same smart ass look on his face that he always had.

"Well don't tell me ya forgot about me!" He said, giving his baby brother shit. Holding out his arms, like he was something special.

"No...but, you're dead."

"Yeah...and so is that little Greene girl. So, it's best if ya got over her now."

Not only was Daryl seeing Merle in what felt like another horrific nightmare, but he came to talk down to him about his current greatest weakness, that he had no control over whatsoever.

"You don't get it-"

"No. No, I really don't, lil' brother...I knew you were into little girls." Merle laughed.

"She ain't no little girl. She's far from it. You barely even knew 'er!" Daryl spat back at him.

"I know that...but, I told ya a long time ago. Ain't nobody ever gonna care about you, little brother. I was the best thing you had. There sure as hell ain't ever gonna be some cute, young little blonde girl love ya back. We're Dixons. We ain't lovable."

"I'm not you!" Daryl started shouting out, "Go away!"

He screamed for his brother to go away a few more times, then he looked back up, to find himself laying back down on his bed of hay. He laid there wide-eyed for a moment, trying to make sense on if this was reality or another dream he was waking up into. He sat up, and found the other group members laying on the floor through out the barn as well. He was back in real life.

After regaining his breath, he scooted over and sat up against the barn wall. There was no way he was going to be able to go back to sleep after those dreams. They felt too real. He was convinced that his guilt and insecurity was going to haunt him forever. Merle will always play the devil on his shoulder and tell him he isn't enough. At least, now, he had Beth on the other shoulder, playing the angel she was. Hopefully, in time, him and Beth can have better visits in his dreams.

But, only in his dreams.

Daryl brought his knees up and buried his face in them, hoping that no one would wake up and catch him having the small cry that he needed once more.


	7. Chapter 7

**Hi, guys! Here is Chapter 7! The snow is nice writing weather, I must say. Stay safe and warm out there, if any of you were hit by some. Thanks for reading, favoring, following, and leaving feedback. Recommend this to your friends and promote it, if you want! That would be so awesome and I would appreciate it. I'd love to get some more readers. You can never have too many. Also, a few people in the reviews have been saying that they hope that Beth turns up alive. All I can say is to keep on reading!**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Glenn woke up from his short slumber on the dirty, hard barn floor. The storm had made the barn a lot more damp and cold, but he didn't mind. It was a nice change and a good break from all the heat they've been experiencing. He started to panic a little when he noticed that Maggie wasn't beside him. He patted her spot on the floor beside him a couple of times, then lifted himself up to find that everybody else still sleeping and no Maggie in sight.

"Maggie!" He whispered loudly, he didn't want to wake and alarm the others.

"Don't worry", Daryl spoke up, getting his attention."She's just outside with Sasha."

"Oh..." Glenn said, looking around the barn, realizing that he probably shouldn't have freaked out that easily. It was hard not to after losing her, and getting lucky enough to find her. He was also too concerned with her emotional state right now. He worried that she might do something to hurt herself, but he tried to trust her more than that.

Glenn rose from his make-shift bed and walked over towards Daryl.

"Well, why are they outside?" Glenn asked him.

"Don't really know. They're both havin' a rough time, y'know?" Daryl answered him.

"Yeah...I know", Glenn agreed and sat down beside him against the barn wall. He gulped. "So are you, man..."

Daryl didn't look at him or acknowledge what he said.

"Look...I know you're not one to share your feelings, I get that. I know how you are. But, it's not healthy, Daryl. You gotta let them out sometime. I'm just letting you know, if you ever feel like you need to let them out and tell someone, I'm here."

A moment of silence passed between them, when Glenn started to stand back up.

"I should probably go see if Maggie and Sasha are-"

"I failed 'er, Glenn."

That made Glenn stop. He looked at him and sat back down. He sighed.

"No, you didn't", Glenn objected.

"Yes, I did. Just like I failed everybody else I ever went lookin' for..." Daryl said, with his head low.

"I know you feel guilty...but, you gotta let it go. You did what you could and that's all you could do. You gotta know that, man. You did everything to find Sophia...to stop The Governor...to brink back Merle...to get Beth back."

While everything on that list was painful to Daryl, Beth hurt the most. That was for sure. Sophia just reminded him so much of himself. He had an abusive father once. He got lost in the woods once, too. He couldn't bare to see that repeat in another child. He also couldn't bare to see a mother who actually cared to hurt while she was missing. He wanted things to be different for Sophia and Carol both because they deserved it.

Merle was his brother. He was an asshole, but that was the last of his blood he would ever have. Merle was hard on him because he thought he had to be. He wanted Daryl to be tough, and what he defined as a "man" and "not a pussy". He tried to tell Daryl how things were, but he was narrowed minded a lot of the time and didn't know the whole story of things, things like the dream he had that morning. I guess Merle did the best he could, considering how they were raised. He wanted things to work out for Merle so bad at the prison, but it was too late.

If he had found and stopped The Governor, they would have never lost the prison. Hershel would have never been brutally killed like he had been. They wouldn't have lost so many people that fateful day. The Governor was impossible to find, though. He was pretty much off-the-map, almost as much as Sophia was. He could have been anywhere. The Governor was just too malicious and broken for their own good.

But, Beth...was different.

"Ya don't have to remind me", Daryl told him.

Glenn just looked at him, "I'm sorry. I'm not meaning to. You know what I mean, though."

Daryl didn't say anything back for a minute. His lip quivered.

"Beth was different..."

Glenn's eyes grew curious. He waited for Daryl to continue, but when he didn't, he asked, "What do you mean?"

Daryl drew in a huge breath. He didn't know what to say. He didn't know if he should talk about it anymore. He was hesitant, and he made it very obvious.

"She saved my life..."

Glenn was listening to him much more intently now.

"...She helped me a lot after we lost the prison, gave me hope. I ain't ever had hope before. Just...in such a shitty time...she made me feel...happy", Daryl said, confiding into Glenn. He was nervous and playing with his thumbs.

"Then, she was just gone...they took 'er from me. I felt...lost...without 'er. I knew she was alive, though. I wouldn't give up on 'er like I did most things in my life. Then, when she was taken from me when I just got 'er back...for good...man, it just feels so unreal."

Glenn frowned at Daryl. Daryl didn't do anything. His head remained down, his eyes fixed on the ground. He was too afraid to look up at Glenn when he was talking about it. He was too afraid he'd break.

"Happy in a shitty situation..." Glenn snickered, repeating him after a moment. "It's funny...I feel the same way when I'm with Maggie, when I realize how lucky I am to have someone in times like these."

Daryl shot his eyes up at him. He knew he had said too much.

"I also felt the same way without her...lost."

Daryl pulled his eyes down again, staring at the floor. Glenn understood. He understood perfectly now.

"You really cared about her", Glenn caught him.

Daryl just nodded, keeping his eyes fixed at the ground still.

"Probably more than you're letting on..." Glenn said, catching him again.

Daryl's eyes darted back up to Glenn's, making it obvious that his words struck something in him. He didn't really respond in any way other than that. He didn't know if he should. He was afraid to admit that he'd grown to love his wife's little sister. He was sort of embarrassed as well. But, he knew that Glenn knew. He didn't have to nod "yes" or shake his head "no". Glenn also knew that Daryl knew that he knew. He didn't push Daryl, though. He had told Glenn enough.

After a still silence between them, Glenn finally spoke up.

"Hershel once told me, 'no man is good enough for your little girl...until one is'...and you were."

Daryl was taken back by the words Glenn had just said, and kept looking at him. He always thought Hershel would have a fit if he knew that Daryl had come to adore his youngest daughter in that way. He never thought he'd be good enough for Beth in the first place. He still didn't. He tried to take in Glenn's words and believe him, but he couldn't.

Daryl wanted to object, but he remained silent. He still appreciated what Glenn was saying to him. He let out a breath as he roamed his eyes back onto the floor once more.

Glenn put a hand on Daryl's shoulder."Alright...I'm going to go see if Maggie and Sasha are OK."

He nodded in response, and Glenn rose from where he had been sitting. He walked away a few steps before he turned back around to Daryl.

"Don't worry. I'll keep it between you and me", Glenn assured him, catching his attention.

Daryl nodded back at his friend.

"Thanks."


	8. Chapter 8

**Hey all! I'm finally gettting to put up a new chapter. This chapter sucks, in my opinion, so I'm sorry in advance. Hopefully, I'll get to post another one before the week is out to make up for it. Thank you all so much for reading! **

* * *

Glenn barely made it three steps before Maggie and Sasha came back into the barn, with a strange man following them.

"Rick... somebody wants to talk to you". Maggie announced.

The man stepped through the door. He was incredibly clean. He had clean clothes on, hair short and kept, and no sight of a stubble on his face. It was odd. It was too odd. Nobody in this world made it how clean this stranger was. It automatically made everyone skeptical, keeping their guards up.

Daryl immediately strode over to the man and began patting him down to make sure he didn't have any weapons on him. He wasn't going to have anything else happen to his people. He didn't find anything, so we strode back to stand with the rest of the group. They watched him with much suspicion as he started to explain himself.

"Hi... I'm Aaron". He introduced himself, nervously."It's nice to meet you all."

Nobody said anything. The group hadn't been exactly so friendly and open to other people out there in what the world was now. It was too much of a risk. The man kept on talking, telling the group that he had a community a ways away and that he had been watching them intently. Red flags were going up all around.

Rick made sure this Aaron guy knew he meant business by automatically knocking him out. He walked right up to him and didn't hesitate to give him a good punch in the face.

While Aaron was on the ground, Daryl took the opportunity along with the rest of the group to go through the man's belongings. His pockets more thoroughly and the backpack he had been wearing. They didn't find much, to their surprise. Just a little bit of food and a flare gun. That was about the only things the man had to survive.

Once Aaron came to, he was shaken. He understood why the group was doing this to him, and he didn't let up on convincing them to come with him to this so-called community. It made it too good to be true. He'd shown Rick pictures of the place. It looked like a beautiful neighborhood with big houses and tall, strong walls made of steel. They still weren't so convinced. Aaron confessed that he had another man with him, up the road in an RV, and that the reason why he wasn't with him was because there was no way to get the RV down the road due to knocked over trees from the storm the night before. It alerted the group because there was someone else still out there. They were convinced the man and whoever else was with him that they were going to hurt Rick and his family. Rick wasn't buying his bullshit easily.

"Alright...a group can go down the road and see for themselves. We'll see if you're telling us the truth." Rick announced.

Glenn, Maggie, Tara, and a few other people volunteered to go check it out. Daryl, Carol, and some others decided to go scope out the rest of the perimeter.

Come to find out, Aaron was being truthful. After testing him and finding out that he had been telling the truth about his circumstances, they started to believe him. Of course, they didn't fully, but it was Michonne that convinced Rick and everybody to take a chance on finding this sanctuary. They finally agreed to follow Aaron.

The trip there was not an easy one. Walkers scrambled all across the road. Daryl hopped in the RV with Aaron's partner, Eric, along with everyone else. It was Rick, Michonne, and Glenn that hopped into an old car with Aaron. They were separated for quite sometime, due to the walkers being all over the road and making it almost impossible to follow each other. It was a bloody mess getting through them all. The group in the RV safely made it to what looked like would have been a small business before the world went down. Eric was hurt, so they had to set him up there with hopes that Rick, Michonne, Glenn, and Aaron would find them and catch up. Panic rose in them. There was a ton of walkers, and they went right through them. Rick and the others were so far behind, and they were scared that maybe it was too much to make through. They had tried sending up a flare, but they didn't know if it had done any good. All they could do was wait.

Only an hour passed before Rick and the rest finally arrived. They were so relieved, hugging each other. Daryl was glad to see his brother make it through, giving him a handshake before he made his way through to see Aaron and Eric inside the building.

Aaron and Rick came back out. "Eric is hurt. You saved his life. I am so grateful. I don't want to travel any more tonight. I think we should hold up here and then head out in the morning." Aaron announced before them.

The group agreed. It had been a rough night and all they wanted to do was rest. Rick was still skeptical, though, of both Aaron and Eric. Rick suggested that they be separated for the night. Everybody immediately tried to convince Rick that it should be okay to not do that, assuring that the two men weren't even armed. It was also to the group's surprise that the two men weren't just friends, but they were lovers as well. They really didn't think they were in danger with the men, and that they were who they said they are.

"The only way you're going to separate me from him...is by shooting me." Aaron demanded.

That struck Daryl hard in the chest. He knew what that felt like. That was the only thing keeping him from Beth...because she was shot. How ironic.

Rick glanced over to Daryl, but he didn't turn away. He gave Rick a knowing look this time, telling him to just let the two men be together. It was right. With that, Rick agreed.

* * *

The next day, they finally arrived at the gates of the Alexandria Safe Zone. It really was too good to be true, but maybe it was? There were children playing, and it looked exactly the same as in the pictures. The group still kept their guards up, but they were willing to give this a try.

Daryl's anxiety immediately rose. He couldn't believe a place like this existed. The houses looked so admirable and substantial. He hadn't seen anything like it, and he was about to live in one of these? He never had anything like it before in his life. It was out of his character to be in a place like this. These houses were all at least two stories high with no dirt or damage to be seen on them. They were untouched. It eerily reminded him of the funeral home. His mind shot back to Beth for the thousandth time. This is something she really wanted, something she really deserved. It felt entirely too wrong to be here without her. He wanted to turn around and run away, but he knew he couldn't. He had to follow his people.

Even though he couldn't stand it one bit already.


	9. Chapter 9

**Hi guys! Sorry I haven't updated recently, but Chapter 9 is finally here. I made it a little longer than usual. Thanks so much for the feedback, favorites, and follows! I didn't feel so bad about the last chapter after getting the reviews. But, here goes! Enjoy!**

* * *

"We brought dinner", Daryl claimed as he held up the dead opossum he just put a bolt in.

Nobody said a word. The air was a bit tense. Daryl felt the first moment to bring levity in weeks, but it didn't work.

Just then, a petite, blonde, short-haired women came to the gates to greet them. She had a huge smile on her face. It seemed like she was going to welcome strangers into her sanctuary right on the spot.

"I'm Deanna. Welcome to Alexandria." She welcomed them as she introduced herself.

"Rick." Rick simply replied, "This is your home?"

"It is. We've been lucky to have such a beautiful place in such a time like this. It hasn't been easy, but it's been worth everything. We're pretty fortunate." Deanna informed him.

"Yeah..." Rick said, still skeptical. Nobody really knew what to make of the place. It had looked like a distant dream everybody had and they couldn't believe it was real. It was too good to be real. They figured something had to be up with the place. It had to be corrupt somehow...but, they had nowhere to go at this point. Rick was strongly considering giving the place a good go.

"If you want to stay, then we'll have to conduct some interviews. You guys shouldn't mind that, right?" Deanna asked.

Nobody was sure on how to answer that, but Rick finally spoke up after a moment and told the women that it would be fine to be interviewed.

* * *

Rick went first. After his interview, he seemed to feel a little less tense about Alexandria. Him and Deanna must have had a good, convincing talk. After Rick went Carol, who seemed to have the same reaction, wearing nothing but a smile on her face. It concerned Daryl. Were they really going to stay in this place?

Then, it was Daryl's turn. He followed Deanna into a sitting area, packed with un-tarnished furniture and books stacked to the ceiling it seemed, he had never seen so many. This place really hadn't been touched. It looked like a normal house in a normal world. It was so foreign.

Deanna took a seat on the sofa behind the video camera that they recorded all of the interviews on. Daryl circled around to the fireplace to look at everything and to prepared to answer whatever Deanna might be wondering about him.

"Please, sit, Daryl." She instructed him.

Daryl resented as he paced the floor still. "Nah, I'm good."

Deanna wasn't going to ask him again. She understood in a way. She took a breath and prepared herself for the first question.

"Tell me about your time out there, Daryl. Your experiences?"

Daryl snapped his head back to face her before directing his attention to the other side of the room again. "They ain't good, that's for sure. We've had to go through a lotta shit."

Deanna simply nodded and continued. "Have you had to kill people?"

Daryl paused for a moment. He doesn't know how many people he's killed exactly, but his mind went straight to Dawn. His murder of Dawn was the freshest on his mind, even if it happened to fast that the memory seemed to be a total blur. He knew what it was for. It meant something to him in his mind. That stupid bitch had gunned down Beth. Dawn had put out Daryl's light, so he made sure he put out hers in return.

"Yep," He finally answered, "but, they deserved it."

"Why is that?"

"They were a threat. That's what the world is now. There ain't many good people left, if any."

That is not the answer Beth would have liked to hear.

Deanna studied him for a moment. "Do you consider yourself a good person, Daryl?"

He almost didn't know how to answer it, even though he did. He wasn't like those people who deserved death. He wasn't Dawn or the Governor and he never would be, of course, but this world was making him cold. Cold like he used to be. Distant like he used to be.

"I'm tryin'", he simply answered.

That answer seemed good enough to Deanna. She didn't seem to see a bad man in Daryl, even if he was a bit resentful. She knew he wasn't the kind of man to cause trouble inside of the walls, especially if he had been traveling around with people like Rick this whole time. She understood that they had to do hard and extreme things to survive.

"Do you want to be here, Daryl?" She asked him.

"Eh...the kid and the baby deserve a roof, I guess." He said, still pacing around the room aimlessly.

"I certainly think so." She said, agreeing with him. She hesitated at her next question, hoping to not upset the wandering man, but she asked anyways.

"How many people that you were close to have you lost since the outbreak?"

Daryl chewed on his lip. He hated these questions, this one in particular.

"Does it matter?" He shot back at her.

"I'm trying to get to know you, Daryl. I understand it's hard to think back about those times, but yes, it matters."

Daryl still didn't understand. He didn't want to open up about these sort of things. But, after he paced a few more steps, he decided he might need to if they really decide to stay at this place. He decided to not be stubborn with the woman and to just give her the answers she wanted.

"Everybody we lost in the group was a blow..." he started, "but, really... two, I guess."

Deanna nodded. "Who were they to you?"

"One was my brother, Merle." He answered after a moment.

He had to stop and think about what to say about Beth. He stopped dead in his tracks then. He didn't know how to word it to Deanna without pretty much confessing his love for Beth to this strange woman. He didn't want to do that. Beth wasn't sister. She wasn't just some kid. She was a strong, brave, articulate woman. She wasn't just a friend to him either, even though they had never been more than that in their time together. She was the world to him, to be honest. That's what someone is when you've based all on your hope on them, right? That's what it felt like anyway. Ever since he lost Beth, he lost the world that he wanted, that she taught him.

"The other was a girl...named Beth." He simply replied.

"Girlfriend? Wife?"

"No...just a friend."

* * *

After Deanna finished everybody's interviews and everybody turned in their weapons, they were free to look at the houses they would stay in. Rick decided it wasn't such a good idea to split up the group, so he decided for everyone that they would all stay in the same house for a night or two. The group didn't have a problem with it and agreed.

They all rushed into the house to have a look around. Many rushed to take much needed showers. Even though they were still suspicious of the place, they took advantage of the amenities. It was too hard to not to after all. It was hard for everyone, except for Daryl. He just didn't care. He stayed out on the porch to skin and eat his raw opossum instead. He never had a stable home life, so he wasn't going to start now. He remembered when he had once wanted to settle down in a home, with Beth at that funeral home, and look what happened.

Even after hours had passed, Daryl continued to sit on the porch. He only went in one time to walk around the place once, but he decided that the porch suited him much better. He was an outdoor cat, that he knew. Joe knew it too. Joe was right. It's pretty sad when an outdoor can thinks he can be an inside cat. Daryl remembered when he thought he could have been once. He thought he was pretty damn close, but boy, was that a cruel joke.

Daryl watched as everyone exited the house to go explore the rest of the safe zone, making their way down the street. He noticed that Carl was pushing Judith in a stroller.

He chuckled to himself. "_About damn time that kid gets a stroller_," he thought.

Rick suddenly stepped out of the door, catching Daryl's attention again. The man had shaved his beard completely off and he had gotten a haircut. He looked just like the Rick he first met a couple of years ago.

"Go take a look around." Rick advised him.

"Nah. I'm gonna stay here." Daryl said, refusing.

Rick didn't move and looked around from the porch for a minute. "You know, me and Lori...we used to drive around neighborhoods like this," he laughed a little, "trying to pick out our dream home..."

Daryl just looked at him. He didn't know where Rick was getting at or why he was telling him this, but it made him uncomfortable. Yeah, he knew someone else who would have loved the idea of this place. A place where they could have birthdays and summer picnics. A place where they could simply be and live. Beth deserved to be here more than he did. In that moment, he wished he could take her place if it meant she'd be alive and happy with her family. In his mind, he wasn't supposed to be there. She was.

Or, even better, maybe if he hadn't opened the door to welcome in the dead into that funeral home that night, they could have been there together. Maybe. Just maybe.

Daryl shifted and cleared his throat. "Yeah, well, we're here now."

Rick looked at him for a moment and just nodded. After that, Rick made his way down the porch steps to join his family and the rest of the group to take a look at what might very well be their new home.

* * *

The first night's sleep at Alexandria was refreshing, even if Daryl did sleep out on the porch all night. It was the longest sleep anybody had gotten since the prison. After a much needed night's rest, everybody was out and about the next day still exploring the new place. Some even started helping out the community. Glenn and Tara had taken a job to go on a run with Deanna's son, Aiden, and a couple of others, while Carol took a duty of cooking for some of the community. Daryl still continued to sit on that porch, tweaking and cleaning his crossbow. Pretty much nothing was going to move him.

Carol stepped out of the house in what looked like _normal _clothes. It was strange to see her in such casual attire, rather than her dirty, old, blood covered shirt and pants. She was explaining to him that she was going down the street to cook a meal or two for some of the people, but Daryl couldn't get over how normal she looked.

He scoffed at her. "Okay then."

Carol squinted her eyes at him. "Have you taken a shower yet?"

"Mmhmm." Daryl lied.

She knew he was full of shit.

"Take a shower," she said, making her way down the porch steps, "and I'm going to wash that vest!"

"I ain't never cared about hygiene before," he said, still messing with the crossbow, "I ain't gonna start now."

She didn't even reply while she made her way down the sidewalk.

"You look ridiculous!" He called out after her. He wasn't lying either. Normal looked ridiculous now. There was no such thing as a normal, ideal world anymore. He never really knew it in the first place, but he had an idea. But, even the idea was totally diminished after the two years they've all had. It was something he couldn't even begin to wrap his head around anymore.

A few minutes later, Daryl all of a sudden heard yelling towards the gate. He didn't know what was going on, but if was any kind of endangerment to his people, he was going to make sure nothing happened to anybody else. He hopped off the porch and made his way down the street towards all the commotion.

He was just in time. As soon as he caught sight of everybody standing by the gate, he seen Glenn punch Aiden right in the face. It didn't matter what was going on at that point. Glenn doesn't punch a guy for no good reason. That was enough proof to Daryl that something screwed up was going down. Daryl's mind started to cloud, as he was starting to go in defense and attack mode.

Before he knew it, he had already made his way through everybody and had Aiden pinned down on the ground. He had a strong hold on him and he wasn't going to let up until this kid knew he wasn't playing around. Daryl was going to get his point across to him that nobody else was going to be antagonizing any of his people, especially Glenn. Someone who Daryl made great friends with during all their time together, trusted, and ended up confiding in. Especially Maggie's husband. Especially Beth's brother-in-law.

It was also an opportunity for Daryl to let some of the built up aggression and anger out, even though that was the least important thing. After losing Beth, he just wanted something to punch and beat up until it made him feel better until the next time her loss crossed his mind. It was the only way he knew how to really deal with it all now. Beth wasn't here to help him keep his composure anymore.

Daryl finally came back to reality as he felt Rick on his back, trying to get him to let up on the poor guy.

"Don't do this," Rick said, struggling with Daryl, "not now."

He finally let up and stepped away from Aiden, who was obviously taken back from Daryl's ferocity.

Deanna finally managed to calm everyone down once and for all after that. She actually praised Glenn for putting her son on his ass. They were glad she recognized that Aiden was in the wrong, even if he is her son. She then went on to praise Rick, and in that moment, she offered Rick to be the new constable of Alexandria. Rick was offered his old job back. He looked very pleased, and was even more satisfied when Deanna offered the job to Michonne to be his partner. Michonne had a look of pride in her eyes, and you could tell that she wanted to accept. Rick looked at Michonne for a moment before giving his attention back to Deanna. He nodded and accepted the job offer. Michonne smiled and accepted, too.

That was it. They were staying.

Daryl couldn't believe it. Actually, he did. But, he didn't want to believe it.

He scoffed at them like he was disgusted, being the old, pessimistic Daryl he still was. He merely shook his head at them in disbelief, before making his way back to his spot on the porch once more.


End file.
